SBI loan scam: In 6 months 15 'borrowers' die, 1 missing in Tamil Nadu

As many as 15 people, who were borrowers in the Rs 600 million SBI loan scam in Virudhanagar and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu, have died under suspicious circumstances in the last six months, The Times of India reports. Another borrower has gone missing.

According to the ToI report, police has confirmed that all those found dead were from Virudhnagar and nearby villages and had loans in their name, however, there has not been a probe into these deaths.

All the deceased were workers in a mill owned by one of the accused in the case.

Police has registered cases of unnatural deaths under Section 174 of the CrPC.

The ToI report has confirmed the names of three of the deceased who are: Mahalingam, Rajagopal and Pandi. Out of these Rajagopal's dead body was found on a road in his neighbourhood, while the rest of the two died at their homes, the police has said.

The two accused O M S Velmurugan and his nephew R Shenbagan, who are lodged in the Sub Jail Periyakulam, had duped almost 169 daily-wage farmers by taking their signatures for loans worth Rs 2.5 million-Rs 4 million from SBI in the name of getting the government pensions.

The scam came into existence only when people started receiving notices from the bank for repayment of the loan.